9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.[a] It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9
Whenever I hear a story of how someone came to know the living Savior, it energizes my soul.
It's why we were never meant to keep our faith hidden from those around us.
Our faith, I've learned is what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning and find our purpose in this life. When those around you see the inner peace glow through the gracious smile on your face and your willingness to pick up those unpopular responsibilities at work, people in time will take notice.
You go about your day, you will encounter people searching for life's satisfaction, but never seeming to find it. Working hard every day, without the knowledge of the savior leaves most people exhausted and dissatisfied with life and it may be your testimony of why you have this inner peace even in the face of adversity that saves the life of another human being.
One of the givens's in life is never escaping the pain and suffering in our lifetime. Consider, if you will, the record number of people still suffering PTSD in the aftermath of post 9/11 and you will understand why. God wants our stories to breathe life into a person starving to know the truth about God and to know that Jesus Christ loved and died for them and wants to be present in their life in the form of the living Spirit.
To share Christ with someone without sharing your testimony is like to reciting a bunch of biblical facts, you hope, will convert them to Christ, but to the person who hears if sounds like a noisy gong. Just as the Apostle Paul who was blinded on the road to Damascus before he saw the Savior Jesus, God gave you a unique story to reach those around you.
Most of us want to see evidence of God's existence and often, it seems, the turning point for many is when they hear the grace story of someone who still believes in the face of tragedy, in the face of unspeakable circumstances, and in the face of uncertain health issues.
Kari Jobe's story began with the remote possibility that she wouldn't be here today had her mom listened to her doctor and had an abortion when they found out after her radiation treatments that she was pregnant and was told there was no way that the radiation treatments would allow for the baby to be born normally without some major disability and she should consider terminating Kari's life. Her mom, a believer in Jesus Christ, chose to see a second doctor who happened to be pro-life agreed to work with her to make sure Kari is delivered full term.
The amazing thing about her mom's faith story was how she was willing to accept the outcome given to her- to raise a special needs child or embrace a healthy child.
Well, the first group doctors were wrong because when she was born was healthy in every way. Because of her mom's unquenching faith, her daughter saw life. Today, Kari's beautiful voice and heartfelt songs bring joy and comfort to millions of people in their churches, at concerts, and listening on their radios.
Her voice has ministered in the lives of millions suffering through difficult circumstances.
Do you want to know what is amazing? It's that we have a living Savior waiting for people to open up their hearts and trust God that He knows what he is doing with our pain and unspeakable circumstances.
So, what is your story?
When was it you said yes to Jesus?
Write out the messiness of your life before you came to Christ and then let God write out the beautiful crescendoes of your life through the beautiful Savior Jesus.
Practice your story with close friends of yours.
If you are not sure if you accepted Jesus, then ask him to come into your heart with this simple prayer- Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I know that nothing I can do in this life can earn my salvation. I'm tired of running from you and though I'm afflicted with unimaginable circumstances, I trust you and ask you to come through the open door of my heart to change me from the inside out.
If you said that prayer, I assure you that in time God will give you a story just as he gave to Kari Jobe and her mom, and that would be a beautiful thing!
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